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After Jim Carrey's recent appearance at the César Awards in Paris sparked wild rumors that an impersonator was honored in his place, his team and officials for the show are setting the record straight.
The Truman Show actor, 64, made a rare appearance on February 26 when he was presented with an honorary César Award for his contributions to the film and television industry at France's equivalent of the Oscars and accepted the award in a heartfelt speech delivered entirely in French. However, conspiracy theories claiming it wasn't actually Carrey began to swirl, exacerbated by drag artist Alexis Stone sharing an Instagram post suggesting they had donned a wig and prosthetics to impersonate Carrey at the event, per Variety.
Gregory Caulier, the general delegate of the César Awards, shared some insight into Carrey's "authentic" appearance at the show, telling Variety in a statement on Monday (March 2) that Carrey's visit had been planned since last summer and that he was "extremely touched by the Academy's invitation" and put an extraordinary effort into his speech.
"Eight months of ongoing, construction discussions. He worked on his speech in French for months, asking me about the exact pronunciation of certain words," Caulier said. "He came with his partner, his daughter, his grandson and 12 close friends and family members. His longtime publicist accompanied him. His old friend Michael Gondry, who has made a film and two series with him, was there, and they were delighted to see each other again."
Of the rumors surrounding Carrey's appearance, Caulier called it a "non-issue," adding, "I just remember his generosity, his kindness, his benevolence, his elegance."
A rep for the How the Grinch Stole Christmas actor emphasized to People on Monday that it was indeed Carrey who was at the awards, saying in a statement, "Jim Carrey attended the César Awards, where he accepted his Honorary César Award."